Thornton scores twice to lift Sharks past Avalanche

SAN JOSE, California (Ticker) -- The San Jose Sharks were
desperate for a win after losing their last three games, two of
which came in a shootout. Joe Thornton made sure they got it.

Thornton scored two goals and set up another while Milan
Michalek added two assists as the Sharks claimed a 3-2 victory
over the Colorado Avalanche on Friday night.

It was the second two-goal game of the season for Thornton, who
has tallied five times in his last seven contests.

"Joe was unbelievable, he was a force out there," Sharks coach
Ron Wilson said. "He's physical making plays and he's made a
decision he's going to shoot more, and he's got to score, just
not look to pass. That'll open up some of his playmaking
ability, too, because (other teams) will have to worry about him
shooting."

Thornton, the team's leading scorer with 11 goals and 28 points,
helped the Sharks snap their three-game losing streak and pick
up just their fourth win at home this season.

"I thought we played pretty well for the whole 60 minutes,"
Thornton said. "We stuck with it and Nabby (goaltender Evgeni
Nabokov) made the big saves when we needed him. It was a big
win knowing we have to go on the road the next three games."

San Jose took advantage of an early power play to take a 1-0
lead just 1:52 into the first period.

Colorado's Milan Hejduk was battling San Jose defenseman Matt
Carle for the puck along the left wing boards. Hejduk flipped
it out toward the blue line, but Michalek took control before
making a cross-ice pass to the crease, where Thornton was
waiting.

The veteran center simply wristed it between the legs of
goaltender Peter Budaj for the game's first tally.

"He made good plays today," Budaj said of Thornton. "He's
playing great right now, and we knew that coming into the game.
He made us pay, especially the first goal. (He scored) the
second goal and he passed for the third one, so he was in on all
three goals. He's their playmaker."

San Jose cashed in on another power play early in the second to
double its lead.

Off the faceoff, Michalek passed the puck to Thornton in the
bottom of the right faceoff circle. After a slight hesitation
that caused Budaj to move to his right, Thornton ripped a shot
without looking at the net that beat the goalie at 4:42, giving
the Sharks a 2-0 bulge.

"If you want to score, you have to shoot," Thornton said. "That
is pretty much what I did on those two goals - I saw the net
and shot at it. When you have a good eye for the net, you have
to keep shooting, and things are going in for me right now."

San Jose finished 2-for-5 with the man advantage after entering
the night ranked 26th in the NHL in power-play goals at home.

"Our power play was great, but it could have been 5-, 6- or 7-0
at one point in the game, and (Colorado) ended up with two
breaks that got them goals," Wilson said.

The Avalanche halved the deficit with a shorthanded goal later
in the session.

Sharks defenseman Craig Rivet mishandled the puck at the right
point, allowing Paul Stastny to go around him and down the left
wing. Despite being hooked from behind by Rivet, Stastny was
able to get the puck to Hejduk, who buried it from the right of
the crease with 3:35 remaining.

The Sharks quickly made up for the mistake less than two minutes
later. Thornton skated down the left wing and, from the bottom
of the left circle, attempted a pass.

The puck deflected off defenseman John-Michael Liles before
hitting Mike Grier's skate and entering the net at 18:02. After
the play was reviewed, it was determined that Grier made no
attempt to guide the puck in, allowing the goal to stand for a
3-1 advantage.

"It's a pass across, it's a tough situation," Liles said. "It
hit my stick. I knocked it backwards and it went off his skate.
There's nothing you can do about that. I'm trying to clear the
puck as best as I can and just keep it off his stick, and it's
one of those things where it hits his skate. It's a tough
break."

The Avalanche answered with 28.2 seconds remaining in the period
and Sharks defenseman Christian Ehrhoff in the penalty box for
interference.

Andrew Brunette had the puck just below the right circle and
attempted a centering pass. But with his back to the net, San
Jose blue-liner Kyle McLaren had the puck carom off his left
skate and past Nabokov, drawing Colorado within a goal.

"I thought we fought back and we battled there and we came at
them in the third and had some opportunities," Colorado coach
Joel Quenneville said. "We withstood their onslaught in the
first 10 minutes, we got ourselves back in the game. We got a
couple of timely power-play goals, but certainly they played
hard.

"I didn't say we didn't play hard, but certainly playing
catch-up all night was challenging."

Nabokov, who finished with 18 saves, made the slim lead stand,
turning aside all six shots he faced in the third period.

"Joe, along with Nabby, has given us a chance to win each and
every night," Rivet said. "He's just playing fantastic for us,
making big saves at key moments. I can't say enough about those
two guys."